Author Archives: Stephen Dawson

Testing the tools

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

I had this clever idea, or so I thought, in which I’d test some CDs and compare them to each other. Of course, CDs aren’t comparable — unless they are of the same music. The idea was: when a new … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, CD, Testing | Leave a comment

Great Migrations

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

Also by way of apology, the first to ask in comments (Australian postal addresses only) is welcome to have the three Blu-ray disc (discs only, no packaging) set of the National Geographic documentary series ‘Great Migrations’. Four episodes, 200 minutes, … Continue reading →

Posted in Blu-ray, Giveaway | 4 Comments

Surprising prices

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

(Sorry for the lack of posts lately.) Lately I’ve been quite startled by the incredibly low prices of a lot of gear. Right now I’m in the process of unpacking a fifty inch Panasonic 3D plasma TV. It’s RRP is … Continue reading →

Posted in 3D, Equipment, Value | 1 Comment

Canberra Digital Radio

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

Now digital radio in Canberra is usable since, from 5 October, we have finally had a number of ABC stations joining the commercial stations. Not all the ABC stations, but the ones that are on AM, plus three digital-only stations: … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Radio | Leave a comment

Fantasian hidden content

Posted on October 9, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

I’m doing a review of Fantasia/2000 for Australian HI-FI and, consequently, exploring the disc. I tend to do this a little more thoroughly than most, so I discovered some extra content. Some? A huge amount! The disc has the following … Continue reading →

Posted in Blu-ray, Disc details | 4 Comments

Burning In

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

Brian Dunning’s usually excellent Skeptoid podcast this week contains a blooper on the subject of burning in equipment. This podcast was a collection of short answers to student questions, one of which was: Hello Brian, my name is Julian and … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, How Things Work, Imperfect perception, Mysticism | 9 Comments

Insidious

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

If you like scary movies, I’d recommend Insidious, made by Australian duo James Wan and Leigh Whannell. I’ve just posted its tech details, and noticed the front cover of the US version of the Blu-ray. This notes in promotional terms … Continue reading →

Posted in Blu-ray, Cinema | Leave a comment

More ABC Radio services for Canberra in digital radio trial

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

That’s the title of a press release I’ve just received (forwarded on to me personally by Commercial Radio Australia — despite my request apparently I’m not on the ABC’s list for press releases on digital radio). The news is good: … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Radio | Leave a comment

Digital TV video bitrates – September 2011

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

The other day Prime TV started broadcasting a new channel in its 6/60 bundle here in Canberra, and presumably elsewhere. This is called ‘Television 4’ and is numbered channel 64. It carries primarily advertorial stuff (exercise programs, Foreman grills and … Continue reading →

Posted in Codecs, DTV, HDTV | 1 Comment

Yamaha HP-1 Orthodynamic Headphones

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

Last week I went down to Melbourne for Yamaha’s launch of its new Aventage home theatre receiver range. They also mentioned that they were finding their earphone range quite popular and had introduced a new high-end model, plus a set … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Equipment | 1 Comment